by John Walker
And that’s just a matter of time. First, however, we need to get everything fixed up and safe for our departure.
Kale plunged deeper into the engineering room, heading for the crystal chamber. At the end of the hall, he saw Meira working with several others, moving about checking panels and screens. They shouted back and forth, relaying the information they found as a person on the edge took notes.
Meira paused when she noticed Kale. “Hold up,” she said to her crew. “Continue to collect the data. I’ll be back with you in a moment.”
“This looks dire,” Kale said as she approached. “How’re we doing?”
“Which part?” Meira scratched the back of her neck. “All primary systems will be back online and functional after the reboot is complete. A few circuits went and we’ve got individual, secondary units that require attention but they can wait. Our biggest problem is the jump drive and crystal assembly. I’m afraid the gem might be cracked.”
Kale winced. Everyone who attended the academy knew about pulse drives and how they garnered power from their perfectly cut crystal’s vibrations. It fed the generators and maintained a constant and clean power stream for the entire ship. Cracked didn’t mean it wouldn’t give them energy but the sheer amount required for a jump would probably make it break outright.
Which would likely result in their immediate destruction.
“What’re we looking at?”
“Replacement,” Meira said. “Which we can do. We’ve got the back up stored away but as you know, that takes time. And when I bring the pulse drive offline to do it, we’ll be on generator power for the better part of two shifts. We’ll need to be on severe conservation throughout just in case there are any delays in getting it back online.”
“Understood.” Kale hummed. “How long before you think we can begin the process?”
Meira sighed. “Another hour before we’re back up to full power and all generators are restored to full strength. We’re still performing a risk analysis and ensuring we can even take the thing out without impacting the assembly. If that’s cracked or damaged, we might be done. I hope you were able to get a message out.”
“There’s a buoy but we’re not sure if it’s even going to work.” Kale shrugged. “We’re trying either way. Can you give us sensors? There may be something in the area that can help us. A habitable planet or moon. We have thrusters until you take the engine offline, right?”
“Yes, you could move us now if you have to.” Meira stepped closer and lowered her voice. “I’m mostly worried about the enemy. If they tracked us, we’re going to be totally vulnerable to attack. There won’t be anything we can do.”
“I know but…” Kale shook his head. “Did you happen to note the date?”
“Yes, I’m looking into data corruption from our angle but Deva already let me know she’s on it.” Meira checked her tablet. “It can’t be right…can it?”
“I don’t know but if it is, then we may not have to worry about the enemy chasing us. They would’ve found us already.”
“If we truly were sleeping for a month, then that was some profound stasis. What if we were midjump the whole time?” Meira smirked. “I don’t have time to speculate like this but we might want to get a team in the briefing room to discuss at some point. I’m thinking there’s some science here I’m missing…some precedent for what we might’ve experienced.”
“If there is, I haven’t heard about it,” Kale replied. “I studied astrogation and jump behavior, too. No records I found or reported on talked about stasis or being trapped in the middle of one. Of course, there are countless reports of ships simply disappearing and never being seen again. It’s more than possible one of them experienced what we did and simply could not get home.”
“Cheery thought.” Meira gestured back at the crystal. “With your permission, I’ll get back to work.”
“Please.” Kale gestured. “Can you let me know where you’re at soon?”
“We’re making progress so it won’t be long. Probably before you get settled back on the bridge.”
“I’m heading to medical now to check on anyone who might’ve been hurt. Watch out for a briefing meeting. I’ll have one sent out. Thanks for everying, Meira. Keep it up.”
Kale returned to the elevator and rode it up two floors. There, he disembarked and paced down the hall toward the medical center. As he rounded the corner, he stopped in his tracks. People were lined up in the hallway, waiting for a turn to speak to a doctor. He approached and checked several of them over, most displaying too much fatigue to even note who he was.
They don’t appear to be physically harmed but our re-entry must’ve done a number on them the way it had us. I’m guessing those closer to the hull got it the worst but who’s to say what impacted them more than anyone else? We’re going to need all essential personnel back to operational status as soon as possible.
Kale shouldered his way into the room and noted the controlled chaos going on within. Luckily, everyone was too exhausted to make much noise but the doctors moved about in a flurry of activity. They seemed to not be bad off but he figured they did something to themselves to operate at a normal level.
Kale approached the chief physician, Eirkan Ni’Otha, and tapped him gently on the shoulder. The older man jumped, turned and his irritable expression melted to one of resignation. He moved aside with the Anthar and kept his voice low, greeting him with a nod and muttered hello.
“This looks bad,” Kale said. “Are there any injuries or is this some kind of strange fatigue?”
“They’re exhausted, some to the point of near death,” Eirkan said. “I’ve been issuing stimulants to the worst of them and having those totally spent get some sleep. We didn’t seem as impacted by it in here and you seem okay.” He ran a scanner over Kale. “Yes, you’re reading tired but well.”
“That’s a relief,” Kale replied. “I’m not sure how this happened but it looks like it effected the entire ship. Do you need anything else or do you have this under control?”
Eirkan sighed. “To the best of our ability, we do. We’ll get everyone either in a bed or out of here in the next couple hours. Are there any personnel that you need sooner?”
“I might.” Kale looked around. “I’ll let you know and we can fast track them. Thanks for the update. I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Wait! What’s going on with the engines? When’re we going home?”
Kale offered him a worried grin. “I’m afraid that’s another problem we’re dealing with. I’ll address the crew when we know more. For now, focus on the wounded. I’ll take care of the rest.” He paused to look over the various patients, letting out a sigh. Many of them were young, Zantharis on their first or second tour. It made his heart sting to see them suffer. “Good luck.”
Heading back to the bridge, Kale was bombarded by information the moment he stepped off the elevator. He held up his hands. “Calm down. One at a time, please.” He gestured to Deva, who seemed the most desperate to update him. “You first. Report.”
“Captain, scans have picked up some strange readings on a nearby planet…like nothing I’ve seen before.” Deva paused to catch her breath. “At first, I was convinced I was just picking up some kind of interference from the atmosphere or maybe even leakage from our engines but as I established more data, I discovered a constant and consistent emanation. It’s definitely not natural. It must have been constructed.”
“And you don’t know what sort of technology might’ve brought this about?” Kale asked. “No idea who might be responsible?”
Deva shook her head. “No, sir! We have nothing like it on any database of the alliance. I don’t even have a way to measure what it can do yet but I’m working on it.”
“So what makes it so special?”
“The consistency and the fact that I’m detecting no radiation…no heat signature. Just a constant flow of power without venting.” Deva shook her head. “It’s impossible. Unless whatever creat
ed it found a way to re-harness the waste, I can’t even begin to guess at how they’re doing it. I need to get with the engineering team to look at my findings.”
“One step at a time,” Kale replied. “For now, continue your solo work on it and get me more information. The engineering staff remains busy. Is the planet habitable?”
Deva nodded, “yes, sir though I’d recommend hazard suits to be on the safe side. There are readings I don’t recognize…some kind of atmospheric anomaly.”
“Okay. Get back to work.” Kale turned to Athan. “What’ve you got?”
“Engineering let me know we have full power for now. However, if they’re going to take the engines down we’re going to need to get wherever we want to be for a while. If we’re going to orbit this planet that Deva’s on about, we need to get moving. Our plotted course will take a shift to arrive.”
Kale nodded. “Let’s get moving then. Just in case there’s a good reason to be nearby.” He turned his attention to Wena. “Did the buoy pan out?”
“I can’t say one way or another,” Wena said. “I didn’t get any log back for success or failure. It is orbiting the planet and maintaining itself just fine…though it makes no sense. It’s engines seem to be offline. Something’s holding it up there and I don’t know what. In any event, I recommend we attempt to perform maintenance on the buoy for a proper message.”
“Okay, Thaina? Do you have anything?”
Thaina shook her head. “I’m good, sir. Weapons are online until they aren’t. There’s nothing to shoot right now though so I guess we’re okay, huh?”
“For now,” Kale agreed. “Okay, go ahead and get back to work.”
Kale sat down and brought up what they knew about the new planet. The information was disappointingly light but Deva would offer more soon. The tech crews in their lab would be analyzing the data as well. If their equipment was capable of determining what they were looking at, they’d figure it out.
If not…well, Kale always wanted to explore the unknown.
Strange that I have the chance to be part of an expeditionary force in the middle of a war. I just wish it wasn’t out of necessity.
Orbiting the planet might be risky. When they got closer, they’d be able to determine the viability of the process. Until then, they had quite a while to perform their work and prepare for what was to come. Kale worried about his crew but deep down, he thrilled at the situation they were in.
This is the type of situation that shows what kind of leader you really are and whether or not you’re ready for the position. I look forward to proving it…and getting us all home at the end.
“Um…Anthar?” Deva spoke up. “I’ve got one more thing to report.”
“Okay,” Kale replied. “Go ahead.”
“It’s about the time…the fact that the date shows differently than we expected? Well…I’ve confirmed there’s no data corruption.” Deva sighed. “It’s correct. We really have been gone for a very long time.”
“Understood.” Kale tried to remain calm but the notion deeply bothered him. Their friends and family would all consider them missing in action, lost in the conflict and possibly even dead. All those people had been put through one of the worse horrors imaginable: they had to wonder what happened to their loved ones.
I’ll get us back now if I have to give my life. I swear it.
***
Siva waited at the space port for the Behemoth shuttle to arrive. Captain Gray Atwell and Clea An’Tufal were both on board and they had a lot to discuss before they could rush out and begin the search for The Crystal Font. Considering what they’d just come from, they probably needed some rest but there wasn’t really time.
The folks lost out there needed help as soon as possible.
Guards stood nearby. They closed that particular wing of the port for privacy. That and Siva rarely ventured far away from her base. There she had complete control of the environment. Anywhere else and they had far too many variables to consider. Criminals, listening devices, bombs and other forms of violence were only a few and most of them could not be sufficiently accounted for.
I’m too close to success to risk my own life. I haven’t picked a successor just yet.
The port authority nearly had a heart attack when her people took over. He couldn’t do anything about it but he promised to make a formal complaint. Siva ensured his message went to one of her people working in the ministry, someone who would give it the attention it was due. Such small abuses of power felt petty but she didn’t want to waste time explaining herself to high command. Not over something so small as a little civilian inconvenience.
That’s the cost of security, folks.
Siva read through the limited information they already had concerning the whereabouts of the Crystal Font and hoped the Behemoth proved to be as good here as they did when the Orion’s Light went after the monastery. The message came through clear enough but they were unable to relay reliable coordinates. Their intended destination might be a good place to start…but then she’d leave that up to the experts.
As the shuttle swept in and landed, she set aside her tablet and stood. Watching from the lounge, she sipped her drink and tried to remain patient. Maintenance people rushed out and secured the shuttle, the only people she wasn’t absolutely certain about and as a result, each of them had a guard specifically assigned to watch them.
When did I become this paranoid? I’m in the capital! But that doesn’t mean there aren’t those who would cause trouble.
The ramp finally dropped and two Terran marines came down first, each armed. Her guests came down next, each in their dress uniforms. Gray’s was white with several ribbons and the golden rank of Captain on his shoulder. Clea wore the severe kielan black with her own set of decorations showing off far more achievements than the humble woman’s demeanor ever let on.
I like this girl. Mostly because I’m pretty sure she dislikes me. She’s definitely one of the good ones. I’m glad I’ve been keeping an eye on her.
They were shown up to the lounge and Siva stepped forward as they entered, shaking their hands. “Welcome back! You both look well. Thank you for coming down here on such short and immediate notice. I appreciate it.”
“Considering the news,” Gray said, “you would’ve had to keep us away with a gun.”
Siva adopted what she hoped looked like a sincere and concerned expression. It was one her mother used. Emotions became such a game to her, she only knew how to act them out. Day to day, she felt an abundance of duty more than anything else. As a result, it kept her from getting truly close to anyone.
“I’m very glad you both feel the same way I do. We need to get those men and women home.”
Clea’s brows raised. “Is that why we’re doing this?”
Siva offered a thin smile. “The thing about assignments, tasks and missions is you can do them for any reason you want providing you get them done. Do it for the families, do it for the soldiers, do it for the military or me…but regardless of why we’ll save that ship and bring it back here.”
“Of course,” Gray replied. “Are we meeting here?”
Siva nodded. “Yes, it’s away from the base but we’ve vetted it. Plus, it’ll be easier for you to get to high command from here when we’re done. I’m sure they want to put you through the paces of a debriefing and all that. However, know that I’ve got you covered. You won’t be there for more than an hour or two.”
“Our ship needs to be resupplied,” Gray said.
“Already underway. I believe someone contacted your executive officer the moment your shuttle departed and they’re arranging everything you need. Plus, the data from that weapon you were hit with? We’re analyzing it now. Extra medics are on the way to help your doctors scan everyone to ensure there were no lingering effects we have to worry about.” Siva patted his shoulder. “I take care of my own, Captain.”
“Thank you.” Gray sat down. “I do appreciate the help. I would like to know why you wan
t the Crystal Font back so badly that you’ve turned it into an intelligence matter. High command certainly would’ve sent ships to get them back, right?”
“Undoubtedly,” Siva replied, gesturing to her glass. “Can I have them get you anything?”
“Water would be fine,” Gray said. “So you were about to answer?”
“Okay, if you want me to keep things totally transparent.” Siva leaned forward. “The Crystal Font just showed up out of nowhere. By the accounts of your log concerning that situation, it was more likely they were destroyed than missing. After all, you saw the flash and they were being pursued by a massive fleet. It stood to reason they all died. The missing in action report was put in to save the families some heart ache.”
“Leaving them to wonder?” Gray asked. “When would they be deemed gone?”
Clea answered, “we have a regulation on the books stating that after one year without contact, a ship and its crew will be considered lost. All hands deceased.”
Siva gestured to Clea. “There you have it. You do know your rules, Miss An’Tufal. Or should I say Tathin An’Tufal?”
“I’m not much for ceremony,” Clea replied.
“Well, that’s too bad because I got high command to go through the whole honor thing. They were going to march you before the council, read some poetry and have one of those cadets from secondary school pin the insignia on you.” Siva sighed. “I suppose you’d rather not bother?”
“Er…are you serious?” Clea looked uneasy. Siva realized she still felt amusement, especially when poking at the overly intense officers she often encountered.
“No, not even remotely.” Siva reached into her bag and tossed the young woman a box. “That’s the insignia.” She held up her tablet, showing Clea’s official record. The rank increase already was applied. “And there you go. Officially on the registry and everything. Again, congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Clea opened the box but only looked in briefly. “I appreciate it.”
“Bah.” Siva waved her hand. “You and I both know your rank doesn’t matter. You’re not vying for the attention of promotion or trying to get into politics. You just want to do your job and do it well. I was like you so I get it. We’re about the tasks, not the rewards. There’s a reason we serve and it goes a lot deeper than money, pats on the back or prestige.”
